In this video:

• Key trends from the 2025 report
• How media habits are shifting across platforms
• What’s next: upcoming studies on Sports Media and Spanish-Language Media

Access all reports here!

The post How Audiences Have Changed in 30+ Years | Glenda Bos on the State of Media 2025 appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Live Monday, May 5th

What happens when you stop looking at just who uses each media platform—and start looking at who’s actually converting?

The State of Media 2025 goes live Monday, May 5, and this year’s report digs deeper than ever before.

Now in its second year, this annual snapshot offers a comprehensive look at American media habits—from traditional to digital, audio to video, daily habits to deeper engagement. And in 2025, we’re taking it one step further by introducing conversion as a key lens. It’s a powerful, often-overlooked metric that reveals not just reach—but resonance.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s inside:

• One traditional media platform quietly keeps up with it’s digital counterpart in conversion—yes, really.

• Several audio formats that appear stable on the surface are showing subtle signs of decline when compared to 2024.

• We’re seeing a reset of media habits post-pandemic, with some surprising demographic shifts… and some areas showing remarkable stability.

• Plus: data across all major platforms—radio, TV (cable and streaming), podcasts, YouTube, video games, and more.

Want to get a sense of what to expect? Take a look at last year’s report, then mark your calendar.

The State of Media 2025 goes live Monday, May 5. You won’t want to miss what’s changed—and what hasn’t.

The post The State of Media 2025 appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Recent Publications:

Ordered by most recently published.

• • State of TV News 2025
    The inaugural report on the state of TV News. Designed specifically for news stations, this report provides actionable insights and strategies to help broadcasters adapt and succeed in this new landscape.
    Read More
  • State of Sports Media 2024
    The third annual report on the state of sports media across all channels, including radio, tv, digital, social and more.
    Read More

• • State of Media 2024: Video Sales Deck
    A downloadable PowerPoint deck with video findings from our State of Media 2024 report, showcasing broadcast television’s resilience and continued success, and ready to be used in your Sales team’s next sales deck!
    Read More
  • State of Media 2024: Radio Sales Deck
    A downloadable PowerPoint deck with radio data from our State of Media 2024 report, showing the strength of radio, and ready to be used in your Sales team’s next sales deck!
    Read More
  • State of Spanish-language Media 2024: Video Edition
    This whitepaper focuses on Spanish-language video media, including local and national news.
    Read More
  • State of Spanish-language Media 2024: Audio Edition
    This whitepaper focuses on the unique aspects and developments within Spanish-language audio media.
    Read More
  • State of Media 2024
    Our flagship report offers a broad overview of the media industry, highlighting key shifts and emerging trends across various platforms.
    Read More

Coming Soon:

More to be announced shortly!

—

We strive to keep you informed and ahead of the curve with our ongoing research and insights. Bookmark this page and check back regularly for the latest updates.

The post Latest Research appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Yeah, let that sink in for a minute. Sampling companies are now using AI and machine learning to simulate human responses. And not only that, they’re apparently comfortable enough with the concept to pitch it directly to paying clients. These are companies whose entire purpose is to connect you with real humans. They’re selling the idea of talking to actual people—but now, they’re mixing in AI-generated responses.

Here’s the kicker: If the industry starts relying on synthetic sample—essentially guesstimating responses based on what real people have answered in the past—then what’s the point? You lose the nuance, the depth, the genuine thought process behind those answers. It’s like getting a photocopy of a photocopy—each time, the realness gets more and more diluted.

If research could just be estimated based on what past surveys said, we’d do one study a decade and call it a day. But we all know that doesn’t work. Times change. People change. Preferences change. You can’t just base research on old answers and expect it to be relevant.

So, before you choose a research company, ask some important questions: Did they “boost” their sample sizes for niche groups by adding synthetic respondents? Are they padding out surveys with AI-generated responses after the fact? Are they turning incomplete surveys into “complete” ones by filling in the gaps with synthetic answers? Or worse, are they replacing human respondents entirely for certain projects?

At Harker Bos Group, we take pride in being 100% human. Our sample comes from real people who listen to your station or engage with your market. They tell us, in their own words, what they like, what they don’t, and what keeps them tuning in. We reject synthetic sample outright because we know the value of hearing directly from your audience.

Arm yourself with this knowledge. The world of research is changing, and it’s easier than ever to reach real people who want to share real answers. Don’t settle for anything less.

The post Real People, Real Answers: The Problem with Synthetic Sample appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Key Insights from the Report

The report surveyed over 500 Spanish-language media consumers across the US, ensuring the gender and age demographics align with the 2020 Census figures. Below are some of the key insights that we believe RadioInk readers will find particularly interesting. For those who want to dive deeper, the full report is now available for download.

Radio Consumption

High Engagement: An impressive 72% of respondents listen to the radio regularly, with 70% tuning in for at least one hour daily.

Content Preferences: Music is the primary draw for 94% of listeners, followed by news and talk programs at 53%, and sports at 26%.

Listening Habits: Mornings are the preferred listening time for 53% of respondents. Radio listening is common while driving (75%) and working (30%).

Community Connection: A significant 91% of respondents value local event coverage on the radio, and 86% believe it’s important for radio to foster a sense of identity and heritage.

Technology and Access: Traditional AM/FM bands remain dominant, with 86% of respondents tuning in this way. Additionally, 40% use digital apps, and podcasts are increasingly seen as part of the radio consumption experience.

Advertising Impact: Remarkably, 42% of respondents have purchased a product or service they heard advertised on Spanish-language radio.

Podcast Consumption

Growing Popularity: Podcasts are becoming a staple, with 40% of Spanish-language media consumers listening to them. This is comparable to the 44% found in our State of Media 2024’s English-language audiences.

Content Preferences: The most popular podcast genres are news/politics and comedy, each favored by 64% of listeners.

Discovery Methods: Social media (63%) and YouTube are the primary ways listeners discover new podcasts.

Engagement: A high level of engagement is evident, with 77% listening to most of the episode and 32% completing entire episodes. The optimal episode length is around 30 minutes.

Advertising Impact: Notably, 40% of podcast listeners are more likely to purchase products advertised in Spanish.

Music Streaming

Widespread Use: Music streaming services are used by 71% of respondents, with platforms like Spotify and YouTube leading in popularity. These figures are comparable to radio usage statistics.

The “State of Spanish-Language Media 2024: Audio Edition” provides valuable insights into the vibrant and dynamic landscape of Spanish-language audio media. For a more detailed exploration of the data, download the full report at harkerbos.com/state-of-spanish-language-media.

Should you have any questions about the study or require additional assets, please do not hesitate to reach out.

The post State of Spanish-Language Media 2024: Audio Edition appeared first on Crowd React Media.

In this month’s Harker Bos Media Minute, we wanted to unearth some podcast listening habits of established radio listeners.  In a nationwide study launched in October, we asked over 500 morning show radio listeners about their podcast habits, specifically whether they listened to the podcast iterations of their favorite morning radio programs.

The results were eye-opening as they clearly indicate to any PD across the country that to maximize listenership and engagement, one needs a companion podcast for their marquee morning shows.  The data bears this out, as we can see in the following chart:

Graph (below): Have you ever listened to a podcast version of your favorite radio morning show?

Right off the bat, 52% of Morning radio listeners are also listening to the podcast version of their favorite morning radio show.  That is more than half of a morning radio audience playing a podcast version of a morning show.  If you do not already have a highlights package/replay of your morning radio show, then now would be the time to capitalize!

Naturally, we at Harker Bos Group wanted to know how they were listening to podcasts of their favorite morning radio shows:

Graph (Below): How do you access the podcast version of your favorite radio morning show?

Most of those we surveyed find their podcasts through a standard podcast player, i.e. Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, at 62%.  A not insignificant amount access podcasts of their favorite morning radio shows through Smart Speaker (16%).  This signals to PD’s that in addition to instructing audiences to listen to their station via a smart speaker (“Alexa, play KROQ”), that they also apprise them of their ability to access podcast clips/episodes of a station’s morning show through a Smart Speaker (“Alexa, Play the 2 Guys Named Chris Podcast”).

Over half of these podcast listeners use the radio station’s website (53%), and especially if you have a syndicated morning program, 35% access podcast highlights through a Morning Show’s website/landing page.

We hope over the course of this month’s Harker Bos Group Media Minute that we’ve demonstrated the vitality of producing companion podcasts to your station’s morning programs, be it a highlights package or an episode replay.

Media Minute Key Takeaways:

• 52% of morning radio show listeners have also listened to a podcast version of their favorite morning show
• If you do not already have a highlights package/replay of your morning radio show, then now would be the time to capitalize!
• Most find their podcasts through the Apple Podcasts and Spotify (62%)
• Over half of morning radio show listeners found their a podcast version on a radio station’s website (53%)

Study conducted in October-November 2022.

• 1000+ Respondents
• Ages 18-44
• 10+ Markets in the U.S.

The post HBG Media Minute: Radio Morning Shows as Podcasts appeared first on Crowd React Media.